The French transport minister has called for a minimum price for flights in Europe, with the aim of combating climate change.
Transport Minister Clement Beaune said in an interview with the weekly magazine L’Obs that he will submit this proposal to his European Union counterparts in the coming days.
“Airline tickets of 10 euros cannot be had when we are in the middle of ecological upheaval. This is not possible,” said Beaune.
“These prices do not reflect the price for our planet,” he added.
Low-cost airlines have flooded Europe’s aviation industry as they offer cheap fares to several destinations, with Ryanair becoming the region’s largest airline.
But the low fares sometimes don’t even cover the costs, and greenhouse gas emissions from passenger planes are greater than for train travel.
“I openly call for taxes on activities that cause pollution, so that we can invest in the ecological transition,” said Beaune, adding that the French government plans to increase taxes on flights departing from France. Also, according to him, the French executive will finance investments in rail transport.
Tax increases for the companies that manage France’s motorways and for airline tickets are likely to be included in the 2024 budget, which will be made public at the end of September.
Low-cost airlines have also been a source of controversy in France due to the labor practices and wages they offer workers./ REL
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